Cotton Candy Skies
by Rivetting Silence
Summary: Tobi wants to see dawn at its finest, but he just can't stay up to catch it. What if Deidara tried to help him out? [Fluff][T For Language.][Oneshot]


"I can't believe I'm doing this."

_Tobi is so stupid._

It was four in the morning. _Four in the fucking morning._ Deidara hadn't slept a wink that night. "Fucking Tobi." he propped his head on his hand, and glared at the Kouhai, busying himself with a pencil on hand. He was drawing something over his work. A smiley face or something. Deidara rolled his eyes. The masked nin would nod off every now and then, and snap up. '_I'm wide awake! ' he'd say._ Deidara would role his eyes.

"Fucking Tobi."

They were waiting for the rising of the sun. The. Rising. Of the sun. Now, why were they doing this? Because of Tobi. Yes. Tobi.

---

It was another one of those days where Deidara woke with a start. He had a dream, he just didn't know what it was. He eyed the clock: "Six in the fucking morning." He snarled. He'd grown accustomed to sprinking profanity in each of his spiteful sentences. He blamed Hidan for this fully.

He stumbled out of his room--"I'm thirsty"--murmuring and clicking his tongue between his teeth, to prove his point. His mouth was dry from chewing clay the other night. He wandered his way into the kitchen, where his partner stood. The looked mesmerised, bewildered by something.

Tobi was looking out the window.

_Again?_

Tobi would always be spotted early in the morning--whenever Deidara woke up at that time anyways. He'd always have his mask atop his head, eyes fixated depressedly at the sky. Should Deidara'd felt the need to actually ask him what the hell he was doing, his answer would always come out the same, clad and blankly. Today was just one of those days.

"What the hell're you doing?" He could mouth the answer out by now, but chose to spare his partner his whiny agitated attitude.

"I missed it again." a look of anguish would flash his visage, and then he'd slide his mask back on and quietly continue whatever he was doing. Deidara would frown deeply.

Oh look, it happened again.

"I missed it again." he sighed heavily, his head drooping, letting the mask fall back onto his face. He sauntered to the sink, tugging off his gloves, turning on the water tap. All of this he did gingerly--quietly...

He hated it when Tobi was quiet.

"Tobi." He called, and the masked boy's face shot up.

"Y--yes, Deidara-senpai?" Deidara lifted his right hand, and flickered his fingers, motioning him over.

"C'mere." he mumbled. Tobi tip-toed over cautiously, making the blonde flinch. "Gh--Don't do that! Just walk!" he scolded.

"Sorry, senpai." he said softly. Deidara bit his lip. This was difficult.

"What the hell were you looking for, anyways?" He took a glance through the window; golden clouds masked pieces of the sky, running through the trees.

"Cotton candy sky." he said, almost depressedly. Deidara sputtered, _The Cotton whose'a whats it?_

"Cotton can---Tobi are you _stupid?_ What the hell are you talking about? There's no 'cotton candy' in the s---jeese. Un." Deidara grimaced. It sounded dumb just saying it.

"No, Senpai that's not it!" Tobi protested, "it's when the sun starts coming out, and it's only for about a minute or so, but when it comes, the sky is _really_ pretty, full of candy colors, like orange and purple and tickle-me-pink!"

Hold on, Tickle-me-what?

"So? What's the big deal?" Deidara put his hands to his hips and frowned. Tobi--rejected, dropped his head a bit. _Senpai thinks it's stupid._

"It's nothing really." he reassured.

"Damn right it's not." he snapped. Tobi flinched, and Deidara's brow furrowed at stiff reaction. "So what makes it so important? Why do you _have_ to see it? It always bothers you _every_ time you fail. Un."

"Because I've never seen it before..." Deidara blinked.

He didn't know why, but he could _swear_ that he could feel Tobi smiling sadly.

"In the Akatsuki, dying can happen at any time right?" the blonde nodded, swallowing hard at the thought. _Oh yeah. Death. Forgot about that. _"I just want to see it before something happens... You know? But then..." he laughed lightly. "I keep missing it cause I don't know when it'll show up. I fall asleep and miss it!" he rubbed a wrinkled hand over his rough hair.

_Tobi... you..._

_Fucking moron._

Deidara ran a tight hand through his hair with a sigh. He couldn't have Tobi depressed _every_ sunny morning.

"O--_kaaaay_!" he growled, tugging at his hair. The lethargic ninja gave his senpai a funny look. "I'll... stay up with you, so you don't miss it tonight. I'll wake you up when it comes or something..."

"Promise?"

"WHAT?!"

"Promise Senpai? Promise?"

"...Yeah whatever!" He could feel Tobi brighten up, possibly about to give him a big. Warm. Hug. The thought crossed, he quickly added "Your whining pisses me off. Might as well get it over with. Un."

"S--Senpai you don't hav... but... THANK YOU, SENPAI!!" He looked about on his toes, bouncing up and down. Deidara gave him a sharp glare--which didn't work. He turned around, feeling his stomach churn when he replayed the image of Tobi frolicking in the kitchen, and then froze.

_He's frolicking in the kitchen, where all the knives and electronic appliances are._

"TOBI STOP THAT FROLICKING RIGHT NOW, UN!"

Indeed, Tobi was stupid...

But he felt stupider for going along with it.

---

His eyes were just about to give way. It was late, late beyond late, and he was working on his clay models the whole time, gently fixing them, cutting through them--any wrong move, and he could've blown the whole building sky-high. The sweat and stress had drained him of his energy entirely. He just wanted to sleep...

He massaged the back of his neck---sore as hell. He cocked his head to the side, to catch a glimpse of the sky; it was still pretty dark, but he could see a dim light shine through. _I guess it's almost time. Un._

He gently turned to look at the brainless wonder, flickering a pencil between his fingers.

The fucker fell asleep. Un.

The two decidedly busied themselves with paper-work they would've had to do in the morning--no use in wasting their time...

Kakuzu had forced the work on them, to name expenses and investments they made, down to the last sweetbean paste and octopus ball. Though, obviously he'd do it himself later. Deidara scoffed, _ i Friggin Scrooge if I ever saw one. /i _

He took another look at Tobi's sleeping figure, hunched over a stack of paper, his mask resting in his free hand, his soft breathing breaking the silence. Deidara's face softened, and his mouth curved up slightly. It wasn't a smile, it was just a long... not... unhappy face...

He looked so young, he mused. He didn't look... evil at all.

The blonde cautiously reached a hand to the boy's face, gently tracing along the burns and scalds around his face. His right eye was untouched, his left eye, burned away. Deidara frowned. He'd never bothered to ask what happened. He was too afraid to.

Sighing, he leaned back into his seat, pulling his hand away. He turned around to look at the window, about to continue writing down more numbers and foodly-items, his head snapped back. Deidara's eyes widened.

"Holy shit."

The sky was lit with baby-blue and creamy-white background, painted over with tiny purple-blue clouds, like little droplets of baby darkness. Just at the brim of the clouds, and the tip of the horizion--Deidara felt his heart drop--a color, that other color.

It was pink, tickle-me-pink dancing with a sea of bright orange, stroking the ends of the sky and the outline of the trees. The trees glowed a glorious gold, it sparkled in his eyes.

It was an explosion of color.

_This is art._

The sight was breath taking, and Deidara breathed it in fully. He just watched it for no more than twenty seconds, until it occured to him. Averted his gaze from the sky, and two hands shook Tobi violently.

"Tobi!" He called "TOBI! Wake up, ass-for-brains! It's here! The sk--the thing--the sky is here!" he said densely. He made a note to kick himself for it later. Deidara snarled, unable to wake the boy, he took a frantic look at the sky for a split second--the pink was darkening to purple, the orange going dull. He almost panicked.

_He has to see this_

_Tobi has to see this._

How much sleep the boy had lost just to catch it--Deidara had no clue, but he had a good guess. He shook Tobi roughly, calling out his name. "T--Tobi wake up!" he heard him murmur, shrugging him off.

"Just five more minutes."

Deidara looked out the window and his heart sank--it was starting to go; the pink thinned into a little strip of light, and the trees had become dull. He turned back and shook him violently.

"No! Not five more minutes!

_"Because I've never seen it before"_

"Wake up, you dumbass!!!"

_"I want to see it before something happens...you know?"_

"Tobi--T--Tobi you mother---Wake up! I'll KILL YOU! WAKE UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

_"Thank you senpai!"_

"Tobi..."

"_Please wake up!"_

_I want you to see it. I just want you to see it._

_So just wake up!_

The boy stirred, lifting his head groggily, his lashes fluttering open. "S--senpai what is it..."

"Dumbass!" He howled, "Tobi, loo--"

Deidara paled.

_It's gone…_

His heart sank, and his shoulders slumped. It'd gone just as quickly as it had come; a setback of art. It withered away faster than it bloomed. He bit his lip.

"...I missed." Deidara said finally, dropping his arms to his sides. He stood up and pushed his chair in.

Tobi looked at the sky--pale blue and bathed in greyish-blue clouds, white-yellow over the horizon. What he'd see every morning. He looked to Deidara, "Senpai?"

"I'm heading out." He mumbled, excusing himself from the kitchen. He cursed at himself--he hated breaking promises, almost as much as people disdaining his art.

_And he was looking so forward to it._

"But Senpai wait!" Tobi shoved himself off the chair, not bothering to grab his mask, or shove his chair back in. He tugged on the back of Deidara's black tanktop. "But I--"

"But what? We missed it. You didn't wake up fast enough..." he said quietly, and balled his hands into fists. Tobi froze, a pang of guilt piking him in the stomach. As is feeling Tobi's response, he flicked his hair to the side, "I... couldn't wake you up fast enough. Un." Tobi looked up.

"Senpai..."

"I'll was... hoping that i I'd /i be the one to show you." Deidara's head turned around sharply, Tobi's eyes were downward, bow scrunched up, biting his lip. "Sorry I failed you, Deidara-senpai."

There was a pregnant silence, as Deidara's chest squeezed so tight, he felt like he'd suffocate. He held his chest tightly, clutching his shirt. He walked towards the Kouhai, only seeing the mop of black hair.

"Tobi." he said blandly. No response but shoulders shaking. He raised an eyebrow.

_I'm not mad, Tobi. I'm not mad. _

"Tobi," he called again, "look at me. That's an order."

Tobi didn't want Deidara-senpai to see him sad--to see him sad over something ridiculous. It was nothing to be upset about, Deidara always got disappointed at him, and Tobi was a klutz at heart.

So why? Why was he so upset?

Slowly, but surely, Tobi calmed himself enough to look up.

A hand patting his head, and an crooked mouth greeted him.

A smile.

Deidara was smiling.

"There's always next time... Un." he said, coolly. "If you try to actually _stay up_ with me..."

"Senpai..."

"...It was beautiful..." Deidara breathed, letting the image of the clouds play in his mind. The golden trees, the baby-blue sky...

The tickle-me-pink clouds...

Tobi looked at his Senpai's captivated state, and then looked at the clock on the wall.

_4:50_

He smiled.

"We can wake up at four!" He said, excited. Deidara gave him a look. Noting the clock, he nodded.

Oh God. Early again.

"...Un. Why not." He pulled his hand out of Tobi's short locks, and ran them through his own. The next morning, they'd catch it for sure. Tobi gave a yelp of joy and a fist pump, jumping wildly. Deidara rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. Stop that, you... nit wit..." there was a pause between his command and his insult as Tobi's glowing chocolate brown eyes met his. He felt that same squeeze in his heart.

But it didn't quite hurt.

He wanted to share the cotton-candy sky with the bumbling idiot. And surely he would.

And maybe something else that needed to be done that the squeeze in his heart was screaming to him about.


End file.
